hi y'all. i have awful seasonal allergies that seem to have gotten worse over the past 2 or 3 years :(

i do have health insurance (which i am most grateful for) and did have allergy testing done back in the spring (pin pricks all over my back, what fun) and of course the allergist agreed that my seasonal allergies were intense and, in some cases, more intense than the 0-4 could rate, lucky me!

anyway, i'm just wondering if anyone does allergy shots. i've been strongly urged to go on them (of course, he's an allergist, but he is nice and i do feel comfortable with him) but i totally do not like the idea of the years and years of commitment and frequency of appointments. one of the main reasons i've been urged to go on allergy shots is because i'm running out of OTC options :( stuff that used to work doesn't anymore. thankfully right now i'm using regular 24 hour allegra and an OTC anti-histamine eye drop. i don't use the OTC anti-histamine eye drops all the time, but i did start using them again regularly (once or twice a day) back in august. my eye allergies can get pretty nasty at times and then i end up at my eye doctor.......

anyway, after lots of rambling, i'm wondering if anyone has or currently does allergy shots, and if they worked for them or not, or if they had any problems during or after the experience.

thanks!

_________________"....but I finally found block tempeh a few weeks ago with the intent to give it my virginity." -Moon

I have SEVERE allergies. I get allergy shots. I have been on them a year and a month. I go once a week. It takes about 20 - 30 min depending on how busy they are when I go. It's a walk in thing. You get shot, and wait 20 min to make sure you don't have a bad reaction. I've had one and had to use the epi-pen. They slowly go up in dose each time. I've had some set backs where they have stayed at the same dose for a while.

My overall symptoms have lessened about 30%. I rarely get stuffed up anymore. My frequency of sinus infections went from 2 - 3 a month to 4 in the last year. I only break out in hives when I come into direct skin contact with something now. I don't have to take 3 allergy medicines daily. Right now I take Claritin and Zyrtec almost daily. I occasionally skip the clartin. I occasionally on bad days also take benadryl at night.Before allergy shots, I was taking all three daily (the benadryl 3 times a day) and also taking a sinus medicine frequently and cold medicine. Before, even on all that medication, I was stuffed up all the time, always had itchy running eyes, sneezing constantly and frequently would break out in hives.

_________________~Sweet songs the youth, the wise, the meeting of all wisdom. To believe in the good in man.

thank you for your reply! i am really sorry to hear that you had a reaction when you got a shot and needed your epi-pen! admittedly, that is fear i have and besides the time committment, is the other reason that i've been holding back from getting allergy shots. not to be nosey, but did you need to go to the hospital or after the epi-pen was administered did you just stay at your allergist's office???

i'm glad to hear that the allergy shots have brought you some relief. it sounds like you definitely do have severe allergies. i have severe seasonal allergies and also found out that i'm allergic to dogs, which of course makes sense now in hindsight since i started developing some moderate allergy symptoms after i adopted my beloved mutt from the animal shelter. i've had him for 10 years now (!!!) and i adore him, he's a keeper. i just need to be better about bathing our dog more often, or better yet, getting my hubby to do that for me ;) i still hug and snuggle up with my dog and i know that doesn't help things, but i can't help him as i love him so ;)

anyway......... i see my allergist next week to talk about some stuff.... we'll see.......

how much longer do you think you'll need to continue your allergy shots? do you think you will ever experience more than a 30% reduction in your symptoms???

_________________"....but I finally found block tempeh a few weeks ago with the intent to give it my virginity." -Moon

Very bad allergies here. I was on shots for about 15 years before it became to difficult to get to the clinic. Now I take a Claritin/Reactine a day (1/2 on good days) and supplement with benedryl on the bad days.

A lot of my seasonal allergies were heavily exacerbated by food allergies....ie fresh tomato, apple, cabbage, kiwi etc etc would cause me to sneeze at least 300 times the next day -- and if that happened to be a high allergen day, the number would increase to 500. Frequently thought of just od'ing on allergy pills to make the damn sneezing stop. Now, I don't eat the foods that I am allergic to and my horrible seasonal allergies are reduced to bad seasonal allergies. Eliminating the foods was far more effective for me than allergy shots.

Another thing that really help me is using a Neti pot day and night. Still sneeze the same amount but the backlash from it is minimal and I am rarely stuffed up or infected.

thank you for your reply! i am really sorry to hear that you had a reaction when you got a shot and needed your epi-pen! admittedly, that is fear i have and besides the time committment, is the other reason that i've been holding back from getting allergy shots. not to be nosey, but did you need to go to the hospital or after the epi-pen was administered did you just stay at your allergist's office???

They had people to monitor me on site but I have used the epi pen four other times in my life and had to go to the hospital. It's just part of severe allergies. There are tons of people there to get weekly shots who've never had to use the epi pen. It just depends what's in the air that day and what's in your dose that day really.

bookwormbethie wrote:

how much longer do you think you'll need to continue your allergy shots? do you think you will ever experience more than a 30% reduction in your symptoms???

There's no telling. In one year I've taken huge steps. 30% reduction to me is HUGE considering how I was living before. I still take medication daily yes, but I'm not bothered all the time, sick all the time, etc. That's all worth it for me and I'd stay on them forever if it kept me at even this level. It's such a relief to not have my eyes swell shut, have such sever sinus infections my whole face swells, be breaking out in hives head to toe because there's a ton of pollen in the air. Right now I have a slight sinus infection and I get whiney but then I remember what life was like over a year ago and I'm so thankful.The allergist says most typically take 5 - 10 years on shots who are at a moderate - severe allergy level. I've seen a faster reduction in symptoms than she's used to seeing but I am also still taking medication daily because I don't want symptoms at all really. Many people stop taking anti-hystamine all together when they go on shots and I'm a baby and didn't. She says it is working for me so keep it up.

_________________~Sweet songs the youth, the wise, the meeting of all wisdom. To believe in the good in man.

I don't think mine are seasonal, although they do get worse with severe weather changes. But I take an over the counter allergy med and a prescription nasal spray daily to combat the attacks. That combo seems to be working for me right now. But really the introduction of the nasal spray has done wonders for me. I can breathe from both sides of my nose again! It's glorious!

my eye doctor gave me this tip......since i shower in the mornings, he told me to shampoo (he insisted i use soap and not just wanter for the quick nightly wash) my hair separately at night. that way i am able to wash away all the pollen and other allergens that have collected in my hair. by doing this, that icky stuff is not getting on my pillow and i am not breathing it in all night long. it has helped a lot.

also i switched to fancy pricey detergent that i buy online and rinses out all dander, pollen, dust mites, other allergens, etc...... i checked with the company and they are vegan too :) i was skeptical at first but it has helped me tons, i wake up feeling so much better.

a more inexpensive version would be ALL detergent free & clear. i called customer service and they said they were vegan and didn't animal test, etc..... but i'm not sure she 100% knew where i was coming from. still, she didn't treat me like a nut for asking those questions so that was nice

_________________"....but I finally found block tempeh a few weeks ago with the intent to give it my virginity." -Moon

ack, forgot the link! i buy the 24 oz size of allersearch allegen wash, i was alarmed at first that when i saw their inventory was low with no plans to restock. but when i contacted allergen about it they said that national allergy was still going to carry the product but it will be in a slightly bigger bottle.

and yes it is pricey, but it has been amazing for me. i wash everything in it, i just let the laundry pile up a bit longer than i should so i can do nice big loads and get my money's worth ;)

i know i contacted allergen and used the wording from the peta site to see if they were vegan, etc.... and they replied quite nicely back that they were. i can't recall if i did that for the ecology works group.

national allergy has really awesome customer service.

edited to add: if you sign up for their newsletter they have great deals, and occassionally free s/h no matter how little or much you order. i think you can like them on facebook and also get a code for free s/h on your first order too.

_________________"....but I finally found block tempeh a few weeks ago with the intent to give it my virginity." -Moon